Skip navigation

Northumbria graphic design student wins national recognition

26th July 2023

A talented graphic design student has won a national award for creating an eye-catching poster that portrays a strong message on workplace safety.  

Laura Watson, who is studying Graphic Design at Northumbria University, won an award from the Worshipful Company of Glovers of London in its annual Art of Gloving Awards – a scheme that recognises the talents of budding young designers around the country.

Student glove design and safety poster design competitions are run annually to encourage practical and innovative glove design, and an awareness of hand protection in an industrial environment. The competitions are sponsored by The Glovers Company and the winners in all categories receive cash prizes, which are presented at a formal luncheon in a City of London Livery Hall.

Laura received £500 for her winning entry, a safety poster that features a broken hand on a yellow background and the message: “handle with care, wear your gloves”.

Caption: Laura Watson's winning poster design.

The 24-year-old, who is from County Durham and has just completed her first year on the Graphic Design BA (Hons) programme, said: “As part of our course we received a brief to develop a poster that would encourage people in the workplace to wear gloves for their own safety.

“I took inspiration from Saul Bass, a prominent American graphic designer who specialised in motion picture title sequences, corporate logos and movie posters. My design is minimalistic and hopefully my message is clear. I also used bright yellow colours to imitate warning signs, the type you would see in an industrial factory.

“It was amazing to win the award. I’m really enjoying my course; the tutors at Northumbria are so approachable and down to earth.”

Laura’s ambition is to complete her studies and forge a career in graphic design.

Caption: Laura Watson with Master Glover Clive Hawkins (left) and Robert Yentob, Chairman of Dents of Warminster and holders of the Royal Warrant.

Ted Carden, Senior Lecturer in Graphic Design at Northumbria University, said: “In her first year in the graphic design course, Laura has become an outstanding design student with an excellent grasp of our design process. Her winning poster entry is smart, engaging and fulfilled the client’s brief admirably. Laura is a student who will undoubtably succeed in her studies and beyond.”

Mark Butler of The Worshipful Company of Glovers said: “We are delighted that Laura has produced this stunning piece of work. She is a deserving winner of our safety poster design award and I’m confident that she’ll go on to have a successful career in graphic design.”

Discover more about Northumbria School of Design and study options by visiting www.northumbria.ac.uk/design

Northumbria School of Design

Northumbria’s alumni include Apple’s Sir Jonathan Ive, principal designer of the iPad, iPhone and iMac. Our School of Design covers the discipline areas of Industrial Design, Fashion Design and Innovation Design.

News and Features

This is the place to find all the latest news releases, feature articles, expert comment, and video and audio clips from Northumbria University

University Newspaper

Northumbria University News is packed full of news and features covering everything from research projects and business partnerships to student and staff awards.

a sign in front of a crowd
+

Northumbria Open Days

Open Days are a great way for you to get a feel of the University, the city of Newcastle upon Tyne and the course(s) you are interested in.

Research at Northumbria
+

Research at Northumbria

Research is the life blood of a University and at Northumbria University we pride ourselves on research that makes a difference; research that has application and affects people's lives.

NU World
+

Explore NU World

Find out what life here is all about. From studying to socialising, term time to downtime, we’ve got it covered.


Latest News and Features

On World Mental Health Day, 10 October, a study involving experts from Northumbria University and led by Professor of Substance Use Research Elizabeth Hughes, from Glasgow Caledonian University, was published by funders the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).
CCE1 generic
The 2024 International Volunteer Cooperation Organisations (IVCO) conference was hosted by Northumbria University.
the logo for Sounds Good Audiobooks
A person going into an MRI scanner
Community Practitioners in Belfast
Partition
magnetic waves from the solar corona are visisble

Back to top